Meal Plan Follow Up

This week's total was $56.80...rather large for us, but not too bad since I felt like our list was really large! Plus, some of the items I got I ended up getting bigger portions that will last longer throughout the month than just this week. Check in next Monday for a shorter list :).

So, changes to the list from "Meal Plan Monday"

• I took tomatoes off the list because I thought we could go without...I have some sweet peppers instead, so I'll use those for our salad.
  
• We got a bulk bag of frozen fruit instead of a smaller bag of strawberries. It cost $8.59, but we will use it as long as it takes us since we'll be doing fruit smoothies most days. And, in the bag are mango, strawberries, pineapple, and peaches. Plus, we have frozen blueberries in the freezer left from last fall. It made a great smoothie yesterday!
• I got frozen juice concentrate and made our juice that way instead of buying it out of the can or bottle. This saves a bit and is basically the same thing.
• We switched fully back to whole grains which feels great. The pasta, bread, pitas, and rice were all whole grain, whole wheat, and brown (rice).
  
• I added garlic to the list.
  
• I decided to do pizza Thursday night instead of quesadillas. A friend from one of the places I work was telling me that they do pizza sometimes with all their leftover veggies. I thought that was a great idea. Plus, I only needed to buy sauce. Leftover veggies and I'll just make my own crust. Even if it's just peppers and onions it will be really good. So, therefore, tortilla shells and salsa came off the list.
  
• I also got dry chickpeas instead of buying chickpeas from a can for hummus. This will be cheaper in the long run. Now I just have to soak the beans and all :).
  

Other than these changes, everything was the same as what I wrote for Monday. The changes that did happen were thought through and happened before going to the grocery store.

I'm thrilled to be making sure we get our fruits, veggies, grains and legumes in and seeing that it can still make it within our budget.

Meal Plan Monday

The last 2 days for this month (March) are on next month's budget. Pretty interesting with the new cash only system...trying to make it work! We haven't used our credit card, though, for about 3 weeks which has been fun!

I tried to rework the meal plan and also took a look at what we are spending the $200 on. I wanted to make sure that we were getting enough fruits, vegetables and grains.

One thing I went back to full time is cloth diapers. We had been using disposables for the most part because we had passed on the Happy Heiny's when we'd first moved here since we weren't back to using cloth diapers from our travels this summer and I was seeing where we were at with potty training (anyway, too much info...). Long story short, we are now back into Happy Heiny's full time and loving it. That will save us a lot of money and won't cut out of the $200.

I went through and set up a basic plan for meals. We have a lot on the list this week! Here it is...

Breakfasts - Piece of fruit or smoothie, eggs & toast or cereal
Lunches - hummus w/ pita, fruit or smoothie (depending on what we had for breakfast), veggie (cucumber, carrots, etc.)
Snacks - homemade popcorn, cheese & crackers, fruit

Meals -
Monday - Chicken, veggies, and buiscuts (we are bringing dinner to friends with a new little one and also having friends over for dinner - so this will be enough for 6 adults & 3 kids :))
Tuesday - Chicken Salad (lettuce, tomato, black beans, corn, cucumber, and I'll make my own dressing)
Wednesday - Vegetable stir fry (veggies already in freezer)
Thursday - Quesadillas
Friday - Vegetable pasta with salad
Saturday - Leftovers
Sunday - Egg sandwiches

Shopping Lists

• onions
• bananas
• frozen strawberry
• another kind of fruit or 2 (maybe a mini watermelon and grapes)
  
• carrots
• broccoli
  
• potatoes
• lettuce
• tomato
• cucumber
• brown rice
• chicken
  
• tortilla shells
• salsa
• dishwasher detergent
• noodles
  
• marinara sauce
• black beans (probably dry)
• bread
• sour cream
• cheese
• juice
• brown sugar
• milk
• pita bread
  

My estimate is about $48 or so. And then, hopefully some of those items will move into the following week as well!

Check out the other meal plans for the week at Organizing Junkie! Have a great day!

Great time saving tips!

I recently read an article on our friend, Dave's, blog titled Save Two Hours a Day (or more). It's an easy and helpful read that I encourage you to take a look at.

I've been thinking about this post for a couple of days now and have started implementing some of the steps into my life. I thought I would share it here so that it might be helpful to others as well!

Meal Plan Follow Up

This week we generally stuck to the list I posted yesterday. Actually, there were literally no changes! Just a couple of cost estimates came in a bit lower due to the number of pounds (fruit, veggies, lamb...). And I got a bunch of broccoli instead of green beans since it was cheaper. So, the total was $41.97.

There was a comment on yesterday's post about the "noodles & cheese" - it really is only that :). We just boil noodles and shred some cheddar cheese on top. We don't put much cheese on. We generally buy sharp cheddar, so it doesn't need much. I used to mostly use whole wheat pasta, then went back to "regular" pasta, but have been thinking lately about why I did that. We will be switching back to whole wheat in the next week or two. Thanks for asking - I'd meant to clarify that earlier than this anyway! Pretty plain, but Evee and I enjoy it!

Oh, and as for our coffee dilemma, I bought the 8 O'Clock brand that was in the article that Lesley had shared in the comments from my post asking about good coffee. It was $4.29 for a 12 ounce bag which is only $.29 more than the store brand. Plus, there is a coupon in the bag for $1 our next bag! I'll report in how it goes! If Clint doesn't like it, maybe I'll try roasting my own coffe beans with Dave :). I read and looked into the other comments as well, so thanks everyone for those! Good options for buying coffee.

In last week's follow up I talked about how we are using cash now for everything instead of using and then paying off the credit card each month. We are seeing if we do, indeed, use less money. In the process I'm realizing some interesting things. Maybe I'll do a more detailed post later, but for now I'll just share a few things.

1. First off, even though I thought we were sticking to a strict budget already, I really think this is helping save money!
   
2. $50 per week can feel very different than $200 per month. Somehow, those few extra days in the month add up!
   
3. I'm really feel the crunch at the end of the month. No matter how much money is in the bank, I don't think about it being there...I only think about what's in my envelop. So, I think that it really does work at keeping the budget in check! I'll know more in the next month when we do it for the first full month.
   

Meal Plan Monday

I love the challenge of keeping everything for the month under $200 - toiletries, diapers, all food and staple items! This week's planning has shown me, even more so, that it can become a game. I've always wanted to use up everything in my cupboards and we will essentially be doing that this week!

Every week has differences from one to the next. As for this week, we will be hosting an "Australia night" with lamb roast, side dishes, and wine. We are happy to be sharing Clint's favorite dish with friends. Also, Clint is gone through Wednesday, so that makes Monday and Tuesday's meals a bit easier as far as meal prep and amount.

Plan for the week...

Breakfasts - eggs, toast (I'll make my own bread this week), cereal, fruit
Lunches - hummus w/ pita, noodles with cheese, leftovers
Snacks - homemade popcorn, cheese & crackers, fruit

Meals -
Monday - Beans & veggies with rice
Tuesday - Egg Burritos (Veggies in the burritos)
Wednesday - Potato Soup (I'm adding frozen corn to it this time as well on a recommendation of a friend - thanks Holly!)
Thursday - Tuna Melts w/ veggies
Friday - Lamb Roast, veggies, homemade bread, potatoes
Saturday - Leftovers
Sunday - Vegetable Soup (already in freezer)

Shopping Lists

• Flour
• Lamb
• Cheese
• Fruit
• Eggs
• Carrots
• Green beans
• Coffee
  

My estimate is about $46 and then add a bit more for wine beyond that. We'll see how we do when I report in tomorrow!

Check out the other meal plans for the week at Organizing Junkie! Have a great day!

Mrs. Meyer's Clean Home - Winners!

Last night I picked the winners (around midnight) for the book! 5 winners were chosen by random.com.

Here are the names that were chosen in the order they were chosen

• Amanda
  
• Terra Jones
  
• Amy
  
• Alesha
  
• Traci
  

I'll be contacting each of the winners to get their addresses so that the Hachette Book Group can send you your copies! Congratulations to all of you!

Note: I just realized that I don't have e-mail address for Amy, Alesha, and Traci. If you could please contact me within 48 hours at info(at)babygetgreen.com with your postal addresses to send you the book, that would be great! Otherwise, I'll go ahead and pick others!

Hope you're all having a great weekend!

Good Cheap Coffee???

A bit of a random post/question today, but something that has been on my mind this morning :). Does anyone know of good, inexpensive coffee? As I shared in this post our supply of free coffee is officially gone. The first week I had to buy it, I had a coupon for Peet's coffee (which is really good coffee, by the way). This past Monday I bought the Wegman's brand and after having it yesterday and today, I can't say we are too impressed.

Good coffee is one thing we have trouble compromising on, so either way, I'll make room in the grocery budget for it and start looking for coupons. I just thought if anyone knew of something great out there that is maybe a secret that not too many people know about (or even if I just don't know about it) that is even a bit cheaper than the top end stuff, but still tastes good...

Ok - thanks for any input! It would be much appreciated!!!

And, also a reminder that Friday is the last day to add a comment to get Mrs. Meyer's Clean Home! Just leave a comment here - and please leave a second comment if you've just subscribed or already did subscribe to the mailing list. Just don't want anyone to miss out on a second entry to win!

The Follow Up

Yesterday we went shopping for the week! This week we decided to go (for the most part) on a cash only system. After reading a book by Dave Ramsey (Total Money Makeover) this last year, we started going through his Financial Peace University about 1 month or 2 ago. It has been great! I hope to write more about it at some point.

A couple classes ago he talked about using cash only. We get miles from our credit card and we pay it off fully each month, but after hearing some of the reasoning behind using the cash only system, we decided to try it out for the rest of this month. I put all of our receipts into an excel sheet anyway, so I already knew how much we'd spent in each category up to that point. I just took the money we hadn't used yet this month and put that cash into the envelops. So, if the blog wasn't accountability enough for the grocery budget, now I have even more accountability!

Changes/Notes to the list

• Went with the "off brand" stir fry veggies instead of the ones on sale and saved an additional $.70
• 12 pack of toilet paper was $1.75 off
• Picked up a $.99 box of Jujubes (I love those things :))
• Added coffee to the list - $3.99
• I also got a pack of jumbo diapers (we are potty training/using disposables/using cloth - doing everything right now basically!)
  

The total this week (including diapers) was $43.98. My estimate yesterday was $33 which was right on because the diapers were about $10 (and they weren't on the list).

Next week we have a very small budget to work with! We'll see how we do :) - should be interesting!

Meal Plan Monday

Meal plan Monday! Thanks for checking out what we are having this week and how we do on costs. I'll report in Tuesday with the totals! We'll see how we do! It is always built in accountability reporting in here :). The goal for each week does not change - get everything for $50 or less.

Also, check out the post right below this one for your chance to win a great book all about having a clean home!

Breakfasts, lunches, and snacks are basically the same this week.

Breakfasts - eggs, toast, yogurt, cereal, fruit
Lunches - hummus w/ pita, sandwiches, leftovers
Snacks - homemade popcorn, cheese & crackers, fruit

Meals -
Monday - My mom is still in town and is taking us for pizza with a gift card she has - yea!
Tuesday - Chicken Salad (with cucumber, tomato, avocado (given by a friend) and rotisserie chicken)
Wednesday - Vegetarian Spaghetti - we have family in town that night, so it will feed 6 of us
Thursday - Stir Fry - made with leftover rotisserie chicken
Friday - Pork BBQ & broccoli
Saturday - Leftovers
Sunday - Sandwiches or other leftovers (Clint is out of town Saturday & Sunday, but a friend will be in town hanging out with us!)

Shopping Lists

• Stir fry veggies
  
• Eggs
• Cheese
• Fruit - oranges & bananas
  
• Tomato
• Cucumber
• Rotisserie chicken
• Chickpeas
  
• Spaghetti Noodles
• Spaghetti Sauce
• Broccoli
  
• Mushrooms
  
• Toilet Paper

My estimate is about $33. We'll see how we do when I report in tomorrow. If anyone ever wants to know complete price break down, I'm happy to share that as well!

Check out the other meal plans for the week at Organizing Junkie! Have a great day!

Mrs. Meyer's Clean Home - Book Review & Giveaway

I really appreciate having a tidy home - waking up in the morning and knowing that things are in their place because I've put them there before going to bed the night before, being able to relax in a home that is in order...

Cleaning, however, is a struggle for me. I know the importance of it, but it can easily be looked over in a tidy home. Generally (and honestly), I clean once a week and do general pick ups throughout the day including wiping down the kitchen counters and table. I can't say that I ever do hard core cleaning - maybe once a year, but most likely just when we move in and out of a place.

Recently I was sent a copy of Mrs. Meyer's Clean Home. I was excited to get this book that offers "uncomplicated and hardworking tips for a clean & happy home" as well as "no-nonsense advice that will inspire you to clean like the dickens".

Mrs. Meyer, who wrote the book, is exactly what the book states - a no nonsense cleaner who tells you like it is. She raised 9 kids in a small home, all while keeping it clean and tidy! I was also thrilled to see lots of tips and ideas for green cleaning from someone who has been doing it for years! Her goal seems to be to stay on top of cleaning while staying practical, saving money, and reducing/reusing resources.

Mrs. Meyer's Clean Home is designed in such a way that it could be read through or used as an easy reference. She starts off with a chart of what to clean and how frequently, how to do spring and fall cleaning, and then she goes through each room stating what "tools" you'll need and how to clean particular areas within that space.

You will love the way this book covers a wide array of cleaning and household issues - everything from creating your own compost to getting rid of particular smells. The great thing is that it helps maintain simplicity in knowing what to clean and when. It also saves money in having the right products (and a lot of them can be made).

Hachette Book Group is giving away up to 5 copies of this book to Baby Get Green readers! So...

• Just leave a comment here stating what your best cleaning tip is (or just that you really need the book :))
  
• For an additional entry you can subscribe to Baby Get Green and you'll also get info about saving money and meal planning. Subscribe at the top of the blog and leave another comment.
• If you already subscribe, just put that in a comment
  

Also

• Just make sure there is a way to contact you through e-mail when you leave a comment.
• We'll keep this contest going through next week Friday(3/20) and I'll contact the winners to get your address and they will ship the book right to you!

Meal Plan Follow Up

Yesterday we went shopping - I mentioned that it was a special week due to Clint's birthday. Therefore, there were a few changes to the list once there (I really do try to stay away from doing this!).

Changes/additions to the list

• No bagels & cream cheese due to saving money (I think I mentioned this yesterday).
  
• I got a large 1/2 & 1/2 for $4.29 instead of the normal smaller one - it will save money in the long run since, yes, this is something I get regularly
  
• Clint loves cheesecake - one was on sale for $2.99 from $4.79
  
• I also got cheese (brie for $4) & crackers ($2.69) for Clint's birthday
• I picked up some Jujubes for $.99 - I love these things
• Added tissues to the list (2 x $.99)
• I did get an avocado :)
• Picked up a box of cereal as well
  

So, lots of changes and lots of treats this week. Oh, and I got 2 bottles of wine for $8.54 - pretty good!

They were also out of the salmon that was on sale. Sadly, I'll have to pick that up Wednesday probably.

The total this week (including wine) was $44.49. Very close to $50, plus I'll need to pick up the salmon which is close to $12 which is $56.49.

Meal Plan Monday

Another week of cheap meal planning! This week we will be celebrating Clint's birthday! So, on Thursday (his actual birthday) we'll make a special meal at home (so add a bit of money), but my mom will be in town and is taking us out Saturday to celebrate (saving a bit of money).

But the goal for each week does not change - get everything for $50 or less. I took out bagels and cream cheese this week to help for adjusting the costs.

I'll report in Tuesday with the totals! We'll see how we do!

Breakfasts, lunches, and snacks are the same this week.

Breakfasts - eggs, toast, yogurt, cereal, fruit
Lunches - hummus w/ pita (didn't make hummus last week, so still have my chickpeas waiting to be used), noodles & cheese, leftovers
Snacks - homemade popcorn, cheese & crackers, fruit

It is so nice here suddenly and we are LOVING it! So, the meal plan this week kind of represents that. Moving from heavier foods to stuff like salads and sandwiches. Very exciting!

Meals -
Monday - Chicken Salad (with cucumber, tomato, and possible avocado!)
Tuesday - Chicken Pockets (didn't end up having them last week)
Wednesday - Sandwiches (with rotisserie chicken and veggies)
Thursday - Clint's birthday!!! Salmon, salad and wild rice (also, I'll pick up a bottle of wine)
Friday - Leftovers
Saturday - Dinner out!
Sunday - Pork BBQ (a bit heavy, but have everything for it and it goes in the crock pot)

Shopping Lists

• Eggs
• Bread
• Cheese
• Fruit - whatever is on sale
• Lettuce
• Tomato
• Cucumber
• Maybe avocado (depending on the price)
• Salmon
• Rotisserie chicken

Happy meal planning to you this week! Check out the other meal plans for the week at Organizing Junkie!

Meal Plan Follow Up

Today was our shopping trip for the week - Wednesday instead of Monday. My week has felt out of whack a bit (but not just because I shopped today instead of Monday - I'm not that intense :)).

Changes/additions to the list

• Bagels are becoming a regular...so, we'll ride it out till we get sick of them or don't have money in the budget.
• We got bananas and apples for fruit this week
  

Sadly, I realized after coming home that we will soon be out of coffee. This is sad in general, but also sad because I can't tell you the last time I bought coffee! Literally, we've been getting it from friends who worked at coffee places and we'd had stockpile over the last couple months. Now, it is coming to an end. So, you'll be seeing that addition to our grocery list now. I'll be running out to get that some time in the next day or 2.

In the end, we spent $31.10 for everything! Not bad!

Also, I didn't make chicken roast tonight like was on the meal plan. Honestly, I remembered that I was going to make it a couple of time during the day and then never put it in the oven. By the time it really hit me that I was making that for dinner it was too late to get it roasted. I'll be roasting the chicken tomorrow and then going with the other meals to use the leftover chicken.

Easy Granola Recipe

I'm not grocery shopping till tomorrow, so I don't have my "follow up" today on the price and any changes to the list. I will have that for you tomorrow though!

Today I thought I'd share an easy granola recipe. I've tried a few different recipes to make granola that have been good, but this is the one I have a picture for :), so thought I'd pass it on.

Ingredients

• 4 cups oats
• 1 1/2 cup almonds (or however many or whatever kind of nut you have)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/3 cup oil
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups dried cranberry (again however much and whatever kind of dried fruit you have)
• 1/4 cup wheat germ (if you have it and want the extra nutrients)

Instructions

• Turn oven to 300 degrees
  
• Put into saucepan - oil, honey and vanilla - heat on low-med heat till warm
• Mix dry ingredients together except dried fruit
  
• Pour oil/honey/vanilla mix over dry mix and mix together
• Spread onto baking sheet(s) - put on sheet to where sides go (about 1/2 inch or so)
• Bake for 35-40 minutes, stirring ever 10 minutes
• Put into container that can be sealed, add the dried fruit, and mix
  

Meal Plan Monday

Another week of meal planning!

As always, the goal for each week is to get everything for $50 or less. I'll report in on Tuesday with the totals! And, don't forget to check out the helpful tools on the right side of the blog - Grocery list and Meal plan sheets. You can just open and print them off.

Breakfasts, lunches, and snacks generally stay the same :), but here's the list anyway...

Breakfasts - eggs, toast, yogurt, cereal, fruit
Lunches - hummus w/ pita, quesadillas, leftovers
Snacks - homemade popcorn, cheese & crackers, fruit

I had already written Monday & Tuesday last week since I won't get to the grocery store until Wednesday, but will write them again today. Plus, I think we are joining friends for dinner once Evee and I are back from our weekend away. The other meals for the rest of the week are all going to come from a chicken I'm going to roast on Wednesday. Using leftover chicken, I'm creating the other meals - but the meals are each unique!

Monday - Dinner with friends
Tuesday - Frozen pizza on sale last week at Wegman's
Wednesday - Roasted Chicken
Thursday - Chicken tortilla soup
Friday - Chicken pockets (I'll make the "shell" from scratch)
Saturday - Stir fry
Sunday - Left overs

Shopping Lists

• Yogurt
• Eggs
• Bread
  
• Chick peas
• Pita
  
• Cheese
• Fruit - whatever is on sale
• Whole chicken
• Fresh veggies - green beans, broccoli (on sale) (have carrots already)
• Garlic
• Cream cheese
• Can diced tomatoes
  
• Frozen corn
• 1/2 & 1/2
  

Possibly (need to check when I return home)

• Crackers
• Milk
• Cereal
  

Happy meal planning to you this week! Check out the other meal plans for the week at Organizing Junkie!